A Nottinghamshire boxer will be fighting a former two-time world title challenger in a fight for a Commonwealth championship. On March 25, Emma Dolan, of Newark, will be fighting Halima Vunjabei in the first ever female super flyweight Commonwealth title fight which will take place at Newark Showground.
Emma has been boxing since she was nine-years-old and has been training for around 20 hours each week as she prepares for her toughest fight. The 24-year-old has so far taken part in four professional fights and remains undefeated.
Emma explained that due to the upcoming fight she has increased how much time she spends training as it will "make it easier for me to train harder and just give it that bit extra". She added: "This is the first time that females have got the chance to fight for the title which is really exciting."
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Emma said she is working hard - and while the fight will be difficult and is a great achievement in itself, it would just be "unbelievable" if she won. Unlike previous fights, the title fight will be ten rounds which means Emma has had to work on her strength and stamina to be able to withstand the extra rounds.
She said: "Stepping up to ten rounds from six is a big step. My debut fight was a four rounder but I stopped the girl in 53 seconds.
"The second fight I went the full four rounds. My third fight I stepped up to six rounds and it went the distance - and my fourth fight went the distance over six rounds." In addition to sparring and completing training drills, Emma added she has "also been running more to build up my strength".
Emma is originally from Norfolk but moved to Newark last year to receive training from Carl Greaves, owner of Carl Greaves Boxing Promotions. Carl said: "She is the only female that I've got at the minute so she is in training with the seasoned professions.
"She is training hard and getting stronger all the time by training with the men. It's a big step up for Emma - the girl she is fighting against has been up for a world title and is very experienced.
"It's a tough fight but I'm very confident we can win." Emma added: "I'd like to thank Carl for taking me on and getting me this opportunity - he's a brilliant coach and a good friend to me.
"Him and Adam (a colleague of Carl's) have been working hard getting me and the lads all ready for our upcoming fights and I can't thank them enough - I'm learning lots and enjoying it too. I would also like to say a big thank you to my sponsors DP Boxing, Fountain Sports and Richard's Quality Meats they make my life a lot easier and are a massive part of this journey."
If any other businesses are interested in sponsoring Emma, they can contact her on emmadolan2012@me.com
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